Africa-Press – Uganda. The four prongs of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) onslaught against positions of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in eastern DR Congo are targeting the Semuliki access bridge for vantage attack.
Col James Kasule, the UPDF operation commander, said the road that connects the UPDF base with Semuliki bridge is about to get complete to offer vantage point against the enemy.
He said the UPDF Engineering Brigade is working hard to have the roads in the thick forests passable for vehicles.
“We are moving in three to four groups; we have the intelligence team, technical and human intelligence, we have the air, we have the commandos from the Special Forces Command, and the infantry and the other components,” he said.
“And you have seen graders on the road, that is our Engineering Brigade,” Col Kasule said.
He said in some three days, the UPDF will have moved closer to the ADF camps and will be able to launch another attack.
“We have a team that is patrolling the roads and another clearing the forests, but most of the positions or areas suspected based on intelligence have been cleared. Now within two to three days, we shall be ahead,” Col Kasule said.
He said they have come to finish off the ADF since they have become the country’s biggest security threat and will not spare them.
Col Kasule urged the rebels to surrender before they are attacked.
“A terrorist is a terrorist and will continue operating because they are addicted. They have been in the bushes since they were young, their work is to kill people, and understand no other language rather than force. What they can do are two things, either to report or prepare for another attack,” Col Kasule said.
He said the UPDF have been welcomed by communities in the DR Congo and are working together with the DR Congo army, the Forces Armees de la republique democratique du Congo (FARDC).
“People have joined us as you see here. So it is people here who know these places and now they are guiding our operation forces but checking in the forests of the routes bypassing these normal routes,” Col Kasule said.
The Congolese spokesperson for the operation, Capt Anthony Mualushayi, commended the collaboration between Ugandan and Congolese forces, which he said is enabling the smooth running of the operation.
“The collaboration is really moving very well as you could see along the road, you could see UPDF side by side with FARDC and this will help to continue track down the ADF deep in the forest. The road was a very important step that they are going right now to finish,” Capt Mualushayi said.
The UPDF in joint operation with FARDC launched a series of ground and air strikes against the ADF militants in the eastern part of DR Congo. The onslaught came on November 30 after a series of terror attacks in different parts of Uganda, all of which were blamed to the ADF.
UPDF later opened a base at Mukakata Village in North Kivu Province about 19km from Busunga border in Bundibugyo District.
UPDF halted the use of armoured vehicles in the ground offensive against the ADF due to poor motorable roads in the area and started on working on the roads from their base in Mukakata to Semuliki Bridge as the Congolese army worked on the road that connects Semuliki Bridge with Beni.
By Thursday, the roadworks were almost complete for the joint forces to connect to Medina, which is near Tondoli where the ADF have been camping, and where Musa Baluku, one of their leaders, has reportedly been hiding and the time of airstrikes, it is believed he was in that very camp.
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